Chinese breakfast usually is not listed as Westerners' favorite culinary experiences in the Middle Kingdom, but it is still worth giving a try, if nothing more than for the experience. One does not need to look far to find Chinese breakfast items. Just take a stroll on any Chinese street before 9 am and you're bound to see vendors and small restaurants selling the following items. They should all be quite cheap too. Chinese breakfast varies widely from region to region, so this is just a sampling of some common itmes which should be available in most parts of the country. Nothing shown here should cost you more than 2 or 3 RMB. Click here for a printable copy of this guide.
油条 you2 tiao2 "Oil Sticks," strings of fried dough, are probably the closest thing China has to a doughnut, which isn't very close, but still worth a try. Try dipping them in soy milk (豆浆).
包子 bao1 zi3 Baozi are steamed bread with a filling of either meat or veggies and are a big hit among Western visitors to China, and are a good place to start if you want to eat breakfast Chinese style. The meat filled baozi are called 肉包 (rou4 bao1) and the vegetable filled ones are called 菜包(cai4 bao1). Baozi can be found all over China, but can vary from region to region. Baozi in the Shanghai/Hangzhou vicinity have soup inside (along with the meat), and squirt when you bite into them. They can make quite a mess on your clothes if you aren't prepared.
小笼包 xiao3 long2 bao1 "Little Cage Baozi" are the miniature version of baozi (above). They are usually bought by the plate (see pic) and are easier to eat with chopsticks than the big ones, although considerably less portable.
白粥，稀饭 bai2 zhou1, xi1 fan4 Rice Porridge is a common Chinese breakfast food, especially in the South. When ordering porridge, the usual protocol is to have it topped with items such as peanuts, seaweed, or processed vegetables.
油饼 you2 bing3 The contents of "Oil Cakes" can vary from region to region, but what remains consistent is the outside, which is deep fried dough. Inner contents can include anything from pork and seafood to spinach and eggs. To find out what's inside, ask 什么馅的 (shen2 me xian4 de).
(no picture yet) 豆浆 dou4 jiang1 In China soy milk is often eaten at breakfast and usually is served in a bowl and drunk with a spoon. It's also convenient for you2 tiao2 dipping.